I have been pretty lucky this year with birds off my balcony and in the neighbourhood in south Parkdale, close to the Dufferin Gates. I saw a Saw Whet Owl last March and lots of migratory birds in the Spring.
This Sunday I had my biggest surprise, however, when I looked in my backyard and there was a male Ring-Necked Pheasant poking around the remnants of my summer garden. I could not believe my eyes and went out to take a closer look. Of course he would not let me get to close, but he continued poking around in the fenced in area at the back of my yard while I talked with a neighbour about him less then 20 feet away. He spent the day in the back eating 12 grain cereal and sunflower seeds I left him and was gone around 4-5 when I was out.
His demeanor leads me to believe he was an escapee that got blown around on Sunday morning - it just did not seem skittish enough to be wild. Furthurmore I grew up across the road from Rennie Park in Swansea and it and High Park were my playgrounds growing up; I never saw or heard of a pheasant and I knew birds fairly well at a young age. From someone who admittedly does not know much about Pheasant behavior, it seems almost beyond belief that a wild bird that does not fly for very long could be blown such long distances and into such a concentrated area.
Where it escaped from, however, or where they are wild around the city is beyond me? If I did not have pictures I would chalk it up to holidaze but I know it happened.
